Dear Friends of Scecina,

I am so excited to share this Our Faith, Our Journey, Our Time capital campaign update with you! 

First, I want to say thank you.

Thank you to the 750 donors who made this campaign possible through generous and sacrificial pledges. Your gifts truly helped Scecina reach an amazing feat. Thank you to the 100+ volunteers who spent their evenings and weekends with Scecina, helping us reach more people in our Scecina Community. And thank you to all who prayed for the success of this campaign. It is because of YOU that this moment has come.

We already have completed some campaign priorities. The weight room, constructed recently for student safety, is used every day. We also have invested over $400,000 in the two campaign endowments – the Academic Excellence Fund and the Facilities Endowment Fund.

What is next? Building the chapel in the school building is the construction priority for 2021. Our design, engineering, and estimating teams are meeting early this year to map out the schedule for building the new main entrance and the athletic and activity fields.

As 2021 progresses, we will share updates with you about the projects. We are still in conversation with a small group of donors, so the pledge total could go even higher. Reaching these milestones is not an end but a new beginning!

Again, thank you so very much for your belief in the importance of Catholic education at Scecina, where we live in the inspiring footsteps of those who came before us, including Father Thomas Scecina.

May God bless you,

Joe Therber
President

If you need help making a pledge payment, please contact Gia Spaulding at gspaulding@scecina.org or 317.352.3229.

Our Six Priorities

These are the six priorities for the Our Faith, Our Journey, Our Time capital campaign for Scecina Memorial High School.

Academic Excellence Fund

Goal: $500,000 

Scecina will establish an Academic Excellence Fund to: 

• Initiate and sustain innovative academic programs, including 1:1 student technology plus emerging curricula in science, technology, engineering, math, and important life preparation areas
• Provide need-based tuition assistance for our most financially disadvantaged students
• Recruit and retain excellent teachers by elevating faculty salaries
• Initiate and sustain innovative academic programs including 1:1 student technology plus curricula in biomedical science, computer science, and emerging areas
• Provide need-based tuition assistance for our most financially disadvantaged students.

During the past 10 years, Scecina consistently has attained the State of Indiana’s A rating for academic performance and progress. The Indianapolis Urban League has chosen Scecina as a School of Excellence by virtue of our academic programs, partnerships, and commitment to student diversity.

The Academic Excellence Fund will help Scecina continue to earn these accomplishments and more for current and future students.

New Athletic and Activity Fields

Goal: $2.5 million 

This campaign priority is to construct new fields for Scecina athletics, student activities, and community partners, including the East Deanery parishes and Catholic Youth Organization.  

The proposed renovations include: 

• A new artificial turf football field in the northwest section of campus
• A field for student activities on the west side of campus
• A 1/3-mile running and walking course around the new fields so that track and cross country runners can practice on campus
• Baseball field improvements

A Modern and Inspiring Entrance

Goal: $960,000 

This transformation will give Scecina a more vibrant main entrance. It will ensure a more engaging and hospitable experience for students, families, staff, and visitors. 

The proposed renovation will include: 

• Modern safety and security features
• Accessibility to the main hall in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
• Visitor-friendly parking
• Modern signage
• Student gathering areas and landscaping
• Visual symbols of Catholic identity.

A Secure Weight Training Room

Goal: $420,000 

This project is complete.

To improve safety and security, our goal is to relocate the weight-training room to the main school building from the Blockhouse (adjacent to the school). Students no longer will have to leave the school building during the day to attend Advanced Physical Conditioning classes.

We also plan to modernize its equipment to better serve Advanced Physical Conditioning students, Scecina student-athletes, and future Crusaders from Catholic Youth Organization teams who will use the new facility.

A Sacred Space for Prayer and Worship

Goal: $380,000 

Our Catholic faith is at the center of all we do at Scecina. Constructing a visible, accessible chapel inside the school building will open up new opportunities for the Scecina community, including:

• Individual student prayer and reflection
• Masses for Scecina teams, clubs, and activities
• Academic class visits to the chapel to learn about Catholic liturgy, traditions, and symbols
• Gatherings for parents at important times during the school year
• Prayer services involving the Scecina faculty and staff, Board of Directors, and other community groups.

Facilities Endowment Fund

Goal: $360,000 

Our commitment to excellent stewardship calls us to develop sustainable funding for school priorities. The campaign will expand Scecina’s Facilities Endowment Fund to help care for our nearly 70-year-old campus plus new facilities in perpetuity. 

The campaign video

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1. How will the Our Faith, Our Journey, Our Time capital campaign benefit the daily lives of Scecina students? 

The capital campaign will impact: 

• Recruiting and retaining excellent teachers
• Initiating and sustaining innovative, high- quality academic and faith-based programs to meet the diverse needs of all student  learners
• Transforming the front entrance into a  safer, more welcoming, and more engaging experience for students, staff, and visitors
• Increasing spiritual life through a visible and accessible chapel for prayer, reflection, and worship
• Building safer and modernized athletic and activity fields and facilities to serve our students and community partners better
• Increasing financial sustainability through endowment growth.

2. Has Scecina looked into the future in regard to enrollment? 

Yes. Based on East Deanery and community data, the Board of Directors has established a target enrollment of 475 students. Through vigorous Enrollment Management efforts,  Scecina continues to attract a diverse and gifted community of students. Most students are from our East Deanery parishes and schools. 

3. Who decided the priorities for the capital campaign?

The priorities were decided after a deliberate process of Input and Listening Sessions with numerous Scecina constituencies (students, alumni, parents, and staff), a review of the school’s educational and facility needs, a Financial Feasibility Study, and approval by the Scecina Board of Directors and Archdiocese of Indianapolis administration. The campaign priorities align with the Scecina’s Strategic Growth Plan and long-term Campus Master Plan.

4. How is the capital campaign different from The Scecina Fund (annual appeal)? 

Your gift to The Scecina Fund supports the annual ministry priorities of the school, including need-based tuition assistance, merit scholarships, ongoing academic programs and student activities, and yearly care of the campus. This capital campaign is an intensive and visionary effort to engage hundreds of Scecina Community members to meet extra-ordinary priorities in Scecina’s Strategic Growth Plan.

5. Should I support The Scecina Fund, the capital campaign, or both programs?

Scecina’s annual operating needs and the transformative capital campaign vision for the school are both very important. Please consider supporting both programs according to your resources, ability, and interests. We believe that all gifts are important, regardless of their size or amount.

6. Are we competing with East Deanery schools and parishes for campaign gifts? 

Scecina has an excellent relationship with the East Deanery schools and parishes. The Scecina president and principal meet monthly with pastors and principals from the East Deanery parishes and schools to plan for the future and stay informed of one another’s efforts. Also, three East Deanery pastors are members of the Scecina Board of Directors, the Capital Campaign Leadership Team, or the chaplain coordinator.

7. Why should alumni and parents get involved with the capital campaign? 

One of Scecina’s greatest assets is the commitment of its alumni and parents. They support the school in numerous ways, including volunteering at events, serving as members of our faculty and staff, serving on the Scecina Board of Directors and committees, and offering prayers, encouragement, and financial support. The capital campaign will provide alumni and parents with a powerful new opportunity to advance the school’s legacy of impacting young people.

8. How will this capital campaign benefit the Eastside community? 

Scecina is an anchor institution on the Eastside of Indianapolis. The school enhances the quality of life, property values, and opportunities for residents to live, work, play, and pray on the Eastside. According to data provided by the National Catholic Education Association, when urban Catholic schools are alive and vibrant, neighborhoods flourish, and the entire community improves in all areas. In other words, “What is  good for Scecina is good for the Eastside, and  what’s good for the Eastside is good for   Scecina.” 

The proposed capital campaign improvements will make Scecina even more attractive to a broader range of students and families on the Eastside and throughout Indianapolis. 

9. With the capital campaign, when would construction begin? 

Scecina can begin construction on capital improvements when 50 percent of the project cost is on hand in the form of cash and the remaining 50 percent is on hand in the form of documented pledges. The sooner we have the needed combination of cash and documented pledges, the sooner construction can begin. 

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